Journal lubricator device



Dec. 12, 1933. J J. HENNESSY 1,938,659

JOURNAL LUBRICATOR DEVICE Filed June 11, 1930 Patented Dec. 12, 1933JOURNAL LUBRICATOR. DEVICE James J. Hennessy, New York, N. Y.

Application June 11, 1930. Serial No. 460,328

6 Claims.

' My invention relates to journal lubricators and particularly tomechanical lubricators of the type adapted to be applied to the.journals of railway axles and particularly to locomotive axle journals.A mechanical lubricator of this type is Well illustrated in Patent No.1,704,742 issued tome March 12, 1929.

As willbe understood by those skilled in the art, this type oflubricator utilizes relative movement of the axle and box to pump oilfrom a reservoir to the journal (or other movements of the journal maybeutilized for this purpose). In order to provide for adequate pumping ofthe lubricant under unfavorable conditions, such as cold weather, slowspeeds, slight play between journal box, etc., the pump structure isusually designed so that, under more favorable conditions, a greaterquantity of lubricant is pumped than is required and it is a frequentresult that surplus lubricant is lost because of its passagelongitudinallyof the journal and beyond the ends of the bearing and ofthe lubricating device.

The main object of my present invention is to avoid this loss of surpluslubricant pumped to the journal. This object is attained by thestructure illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Figure l isa longitudinal vertical section through a lubricator device applied to ajournal.

Figure 2 is a top view of the subcellar of the lubricator which embodiesthe essential feature of my invention.

Figure 3 is an end view of the subcellar.

In Figure 1 I illustrate the axle journal 1 of a locomotive drivingwheel 2, the journal carrying the usual bearing brass 3 which willsupport the driver box (not shown). The lubricator, which will bemounted in the box, includes a body portion 4 having a lubricantreservoir or cellar 5. A subcellar 6 is yieldingly supported on thebottom wall of the body member by means of a spring '7 and includes apump cylinder 8 adapted to receive a pump plunger 9 which is actuatedalternately by movement of the wheel 2 to the right and the thrust ofspring 10 to the left. The pump cylinder 8 is connected to the reservoir5 by a suitable conduit member '11 provided with check valves, theentire device operating in a manner similar to that referred to in myabove-mentioned patent and the same forming no part of my presentinvention.

. ,The upper portion of subcellar 6 forms a substantially rectangularwaste-receiving pan 12 having an upstanding perimetric wall includingend portions 13 adapted to engage the surface of the journal 1, the topsof the end portions 13 of the wall being curved, as indicated at 15, tofit the journal. I

The bearing brass 3 is of greater length than cellar 6 and near its endsis provided with transverse grooves .16 for trapping oil moving towardsthe end of the bearing and directing it downwardly towards the cellar.Grooves 16 are spaced farther apart than the end portions 13 of thesubcellar. However, the bearing 3 only extends around the upper portionof the journal and in order to prevent the longitudinal movement of oilalong the lower portion of the journal, away from the subcellar, Iprovide a plurality of flanges 1'7 on the end of the subcellar 6. Eachof these flanges is inclined outwardlyat about an angle of 45 from thevertical plane of the axis of the journal and the subcellar and extendsfrom .a point adjacent the lowermost L portion of the journal diagonallyaway from the end portion 13 of the subcellar wall, the upper edge ofeach flange being curved to fit the journal and each flange extendinglengthwise of the journal beyond the end of the bearing.

As the journal rotates, the oil discharged from groove 16 and runningdownwardly will be wiped from the journal surface by flanges 17 anddirected towards the subcellar and will flow therefrom down into thecellar and, hence, back to the reservoir 5.

By locating the flanges near the center line of the subcellar, theircontact with the journal is better preserved since any wear on theflanges or the journal, or any reduction in size of the journal fromrefinishing, will be compensated by the freedom of the subcellar to moveupwardly under the thrust of spring '7. It will be understood that theupper edges of wall portions'13 and flanges 17 will wear to a seat onthe journal. Making the flanges thin as shown will facilitate theirearly wearing to a journal fit.

I consider it within the spirit of my invention to locate the flanges atdifferent points on the subcellar, to incline them at different anglesfrom that shown and to arrange them otherwise than in pairs as shown.I'contemplate the exclusive use of any variations in the details of myinvention which come within the scope of my claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a railway journal, a bearing thereon, a journallubricator pan having. a compartment for holding lubricant distributingmeans, and provided with an element extending longitudinally of said panand engaging the adjacent surface of said journal along and beyond thearea of the same coming in contact with said bearing to wipe surplus oilfrom the journal immediately beyond the edge of said bearing.

2. In combination, a railway journal, a bearing thereon, a journallubricator pan having a compartment with upright walls for holding wastefor distributing oil to said journal, and an element extending outwardlyfrom one of said walls to engage the adjacent surface of said journalabreast the longitudinal edge of the part of said bearing engageable bysaid journal to wipe surplus oil accumulating on the journal along saidedge, said element being inclined. horizontally from the axis of the panto direct surplus oil, engaged by the outerface of' the flange,longitudinally of the pan towards said wall.

3. In combination, a railway journal, a hearing thereon, a journallubricator pan having a compartment with upright walls for holding wastefor distributing oil to said journal, and a plurality of elementsdiverging horizontally from an end 'wall of said pan and arranged tocontact with the surface of said journal along and beyond the area ofthe same coming in contact with said bearing to wipe surplus oilaccumulating on the journal immediately beyond the edge of said surface.

4. In combination, a railway vehicle journal, a waste-holding panapplied to the lower surface thereof, a journal bearing carried by saidjournal and extending along'the same a greater distance than said panand provided with one or more transverse grooves in its journal engagingface, said grooves extending circumferentially of the journal, and oneor more elements extending outwardly from the end of said pan andabreast of said grooves to wipe'surplus oil from said journal as it isdischarged downwardly from said grooves over said journal.

5. In combination, a railway vehicle journal, a lubricating deviceapplied to the same and including a lubricant reservoir, a pump andconduit for conveying oil to said journal, a wasteholding pansurrounding the discharge end of said conduit, a journal bearing carriedon said journal andextending along ithe same beyond the ends of said panand including transverse oil collecting grooves in its journal engagingface, the distance from said grooves to the ends of the bearing beingless than the distance from the ends of saidpan to the ends of saidbearing, and flanges extending from the ends of saidpangbeyond-thegvertical planes of said grooves for; wiping surplus oildischarged from said grooves from sea journal and returning the sametosaid reservoir.

6. In combination, a railway vehicle axle journal, a bearing thereon, alubricating device applied to said journal and including a.,cellarhaving a lubricant reservoir, a subcellar forming a waste-holding panhaving an'upstanding perimetric wall the end portions of whichare 100shaped .to fit said journal, spring means supporting said subceller insaid cellar and thrusting said end portions against said journal, a pumpand conduit for supplyingoil from'sa'id-reservoir to said journaland-actuated by the relative 0 longitudinal movement of said journal andsaid device; saidbearing brass having tone-or more circumferentialgrooves to catch oil moving towards the end of the bearing, and flangesextending diagonally outwardly from the center of 110 one or both endportions of said Wall and traversing the vertical plane or planes ofsaid groove or grooves to intercept oil discharged downwardly from saidgroove-0r grooves and return it to said cellar reservoir.

JAMES J. HENNESSY.

